


Letters

by NEMKA



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:47:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 365
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23185756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NEMKA/pseuds/NEMKA
Summary: After Lestrange gets hit with well-aimed Avada Kedavra, breathing becomes a little bit easier.





	Letters

Years and years later, when there are fewer letters, lists of the deceased in the newspapers can be mistaken for students’ attendance. Everything should have ended the first time with James and Lily, Godric's Hollow and thirteen muggles, killed by a single wave of a wand. All: fidelius-protected shelters, questions, and constant vigilance. 

In yesterday's letter, the first one in three months, — "London, 12 Grimmauld place" and a short note to burn everything after. Sirius's handwriting is neat, and that’s right — thinks Andromeda — pure blood runs deep, and even Azkaban will never change that. It's the last thing Black tells her, for when she steps over the threshold, another person is forever gone. 

Remus stares at her with hollow eyes and offers muggle whiskey. 

The second war is closer than ever.

The world's fate - in the hands of a child with a twitching eye.

* * *

There was a boy-who-lived and the one who didn't. Harry looks at her with suspicion and silent: "Where have you been all this time". Andromeda understands and probably even sympathizes. 

He  _ does not _ have his mother's eyes. 

Teddy holds onto his godfather's trousers and looks in awe of pretty much everything in the room. 

"Remus told me to find you if something happens," Potter fiddles with the envelope. She wants to snatch it away, to scream that she, too, was there, saw bodies, corpses, and faces, forever frozen in terror. "And that's Teddy. Edward Remus Lupin. You probably know him already. I think Remus wanted you to be his godmother. I think you'd like to spend some time with him, too, maybe." 

All those probably-probably-maybe. Nobody knows anything anymore. 

Andromeda is fifty-one, the time goes by too fast, and she is too old, tough and broken to sit here like that, crying over a piece of paper. 

"You are making a huge mistake, you know? James, Lily, Sirius, Severus, Albus. The lives of their grandchildren won't bring them back. Don't turn your kids into walking headstones." 

"It might seem, that this is none of your business," he leaves and the woman snatches his mug, black tea blurry with milk. 

Life goes on — barefoot on the broken stained glass. 

Four Marauders — dead. 


End file.
